In recent years, the threat that wildfire poses to homes has
received much attention in both the mainstream press and academic
literature. However, little is known about how homebuyers consider
wildfire risk during the home-purchase process. In the context
of a unique wildfire education program, we consider two approaches
to examining the relationship between wildfire risk and home
purchases. Results from a market-level analysis using home sales
price data are compared to household survey results. The household
survey validates the market-level analysis and provides further
insight into homebuyers and wildfire risk. Specifically, we find
that while homebuyers prefer locations near dangerous topography,
they also prefer less flammable building materials. However,
most homebuyers were unaware of wildfire risk when they made
their home-purchase decisions.